Lichess Coverage
Lichess will produce in-depth blog posts with annotations for each round of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss. WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea will annotate the games from the Women’s Grand Swiss and GM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez will annotate the games from the Open Grand Swiss. Lichess will also create videos for each round of the tournament, with interviews and other types of content. Keep an eye on our socials for the videos!
Annotations by GM Renier Castellanos Rodriguez
https://lichess.org/study/sfuy5Gcv/jALMVwuo#0
Annotations by WIM Silvia Raluca Sgîrcea
https://lichess.org/study/sfuy5Gcv/Spbwq62c#0
Open Overview
Seven of the top 10 boards were decisive, with all top five boards having a winner. The tournament leader, GM Parham Maghsoodloo, won again, this time against GM Richard Rapport, while the chasing pack on 4/5 includes GM Abhimanyu Mishra, who defeated world champion GM Gukesh D, GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi, who won against GM Vincent Keymer, GM Arjun Erigaisi, who triumphed over GM Nikita Vitiugov, and GM Matthias Bluebaum, who got the better of GM Praggnanandhaa R. GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş held GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov to a draw after playing 190 moves in a span of over 8 and a half hours.
Open Leaderboard
The Top 10 Boards
The tournament leader, GM Parham Maghsoodloo, played a stunningly precise game against GM Richard Rapport, equalizing quickly out of the opening and then slowly outplaying Rapport in a double rook knight vs. bishop endgame.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/MQa2uaYt#0
GM Richard Rapport vs. GM Parham Maghsoodloo
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
In a battle of two teenagers, GM Abhimanyu Mishra just became the youngest player to defeat a reigning world champion in an official classical game. GM Gukesh D was playing incredibly quickly in the opening, but it seemed as if he had mixed up his preparation after he played 12…g4??, allowing Mishra to sacrifice a piece and achieve a winning position. The game remained astoundingly complex, though, and Gukesh had a fighting chance after Mishra’s 20. Nd4??. The game saw few twists and turns after that point, but shortly before the time control on move 36, Gukesh blundered and allowed Mishra to get to a winning double rook endgame, which he converted flawlessly.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/ngF1ERWE#0
GM Abhimanyu Mishra vs. GM Gukesh D
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Praggnanandhaa R played an incredibly rare line against GM Matthias Bluebaum today, going for the sharp Kangaroo Defense. Praggnanandhaa’s opening choice was not to blame for his loss, though, as he equalized comfortably as Black and only blundered much later, in an endgame where he miscalculated and created a big weakness for himself. After that point, Bluebaum converted flawlessly in the resulting pawn-up knight endgame.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/GIXGL9hr#0
GM Matthias Bluebaum vs. GM Praggnanandhaa R
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi tournament continues to flourish as he was able to win a technical endgame against world #10 GM Vincent Keymer. Maurizzi did have an advantage for some portions of the game, but Keymer defended well and was able to equalize. In a simplified endgame, Keymer blundered with 37…f6??, but Maurizzi then failed to capitalize as he played 39. Kg4??. Keymer counter-blundered with 39…Ke7??, allowing Maurizzi to find the right setup and not let go of his winning advantage.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/WQoFW91v#0
GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi vs. GM Vincent Keymer
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Arjun Erigaisi played a well-known Catalan line against GM Nikita Vitiugov, but he was the first one to spring in a surprise as he played the very rare 13. Re1. The move had clearly discombobulated Vitiugov, who played an inaccurate continuation and in fact picked up material, giving up his queen for Arjun’s two rooks. Arjun had clearly worked out these complications, though, and created counterplay on the dark squares, playing a near-perfect game and winning in just 37 moves.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/QMJeyido#0
GM Arjun Erigaisi vs. GM Nikita Vitiugov
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Echoing one of the most famous book titles in chess, IM Mark Dvoretsky’s “Tragicomedy in the Endgame,” GM Sam Shankland today suffered a tragic defeat against GM Alireza Firouzja in an equal king and pawn endgame. Firouzja had in fact missed a win earlier after Shankland’s 35. c3?? blunder, playing 35. b6?? instead of 35. b5. It looked like Shankland would hold on after that point, but just one wrong recapture in 47. bxa5??, instead of 47. Ke2, cost Shankland the game.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/r2aKoWmc#0
GM Alireza Firouzja with GM Sam Shankland in the background
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Playing the Dubov Tarrasch Defense, GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş was worse right out of the opening aganist GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, but Erdoğmuş simply would not go down without a fight, and defended a worse position for an incredible 8 and a half hours, forcing Abdusattorov to concede the draw on move 190.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/YcqMG8VN#0
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs. GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş with GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov making the ceremonial first move
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Anish Giri’s slight advantage in the early middlegame kept growing, but it did so at a staggeringly slow pace, requiring Giri a tremendous 83 moves to convert against GM Grigoriy Oparin.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/c9puDcxZ#0
GM Nodirbek Yakubboev was applying strong positional pressure against GM Szymon Gumularz, but it was not enough to crack through Black’s defense as he was defending actively. As Yakubboev went for a mistaken piece trade, giving up his powerful light-squared bishop, he was no longer better and had to acquiesce to a draw soon enough.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/VJqwXtMZ#0
GM Szymon Gumularz vs. GM Nodirbek Yakubboev
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Levon Aronian eschewed the more common kingside fianchetto against GM Shant Sargsyan’s Tarrasch Defense, instead trading on c5 on move 6, allowing some exchanges. The game had many intriguing points, especially Aronian’s development-focused rook lift, 19. Rh3!. Ultimately, though, the game was drawn as it was clear that both players came well-prepared to today’s game.
Notable Games
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, true to his aggressive style, played the unconventional Stockholm Variation against GM A. R. Salem Saleh’s Grünfeld Defense. Mamedyarov played a brilliant game, expanding in the center, improving the placement of his pieces, and eventually trapping Salem Saleh’s queen.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/sy3k9LaE#0
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
Flashy Games
GM Abhimanyu Puranik played an attacking brilliancy against GM Vladimir Fedoseev, finishing off the game in style.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/KhNU09cp#0
GM Daniil Dubov went for an incredibly complicated and beautiful sequence on move 55 against GM Alexandr Predke.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/ADzdjVmn/qMDIJgMq#0
Women’s Overview
Seven of the top boards saw decisive results, with minor rating upsets occurring on a couple of boards. There is a four-way tie for first between IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, GM Kateryna Lagno, and IM Dinara Wagner, with seven players in the chasing pack on 3.5/5.
Women’s Leaderboard
The Top 10 Boards
GM Vaishali Rameshbabu played one of the many Exchange variations in the Ruy Lopez, achieving a somewhat calm position against GM Kateryna Lagno. With opposite-sides castling, though, it did look like there was a lot left to play for; as the players went for piece trade after piece trade, however, the resulting draw was obvious.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/WRx54PCE#0
GM Vaishali Rameshbabu vs. GM Kateryna Lagno
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
The game between GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva was a complicated, rare Sicilian which saw an abrupt crescendo. Kosteniuk played the rare 3. b3 sideline against the Sicilian Defense — certainly not the most common at the highest levels, but still a theoretically sound choice. The game soon saw wild complications as Black’s d6 square looked quite weak, but Black also had a lot of piece activity, and some targets, to compensate. Pieces were in a high flow state, though, and were quickly vacuumed off the board; that did not, however, mean that a draw was imminent. Indeed, White’s king looked somewhat unsafe, and while Kosteniuk could have held on with precise defense, a sudden storm engulfed her king and she was forced to resign after Fataliyeva’s mating 34…Nh3+.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/3P4W6XGn#0
IM Dinara Wagner’s Sicilian Najdorf theoretical knowledge was tested heavily by IM Irina Bulmaga today, but it was in fact Wagner who seemed to understand the resulting queenless middlegame position deeply. For much of the game, Wagner was slowly outplaying Bulmaga, but she let the advantage slip, allowing equalizing chances, at some points of the game. Bulmaga, though, could not find the correct ideas, and eventually had to resign on move 57.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/CZaeNTmA#0
IM Irina Bulmaga vs. IM Dinara Wagner’s
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
GM Olga Girya always had a slight pull against IM Carissa Yip today, but the game looked level for the most part, and Yip seemed to be close to achieving the draw. Yip misevaluated the resulting endgame after 32. Rxd4??, though, and Girya traded her bishop pair advantage for a winning same-colored bishop endgame, wrapping up the game on move 53.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/0bMOidN2#0
IM Guo Qi’s game against GM Anna Ushenina was quite stable for the most part, but equality never means a draw, especially in modern day chess. In a complicated double rook endgame, Guo was in fact worse for a brief period of time, but as one pair of rooks was traded, Guo was pressing. Just one wrong move by Ushenina allowed Guo to win a pawn, forcing a winning endgame and a well-earned victory for Guo.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/Mn0IQp3x#0
IM Song Yuxin’s worse middlegame position did not stop her from defending and turning the game around as IM Olga Badelka’s attack fizzled out and she had to contend with a worse endgame. Song applied pressure and by and by, saw her advantage grow and her opponent’s position collapse.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/bD8Lq0t7#0
GM Tan Zhongyi played a remarkable accurate game in the Reversed Grünfeld, making stunning use of her bishop pair advantage, which only continued to snowball as GM Elina Danielian could not keep up with the positional pressure.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/5uDgFHpe#0
GM Elina Danielian vs. GM Tan Zhongyi
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
The opening had clearly gone wrong for GM Bibisara Assaubayeva today as both she and IM Nurgyul Salimova played a rare line of Petrov’s Defense. Salimova’s queenside expansion was well-timed, and soon Assaubayeva was worse, which enticed Salimova to play for more after a threefold repetition was on the cards. Salimova would come to regret her decision, however, as Assaubayeva made use of Salimova’s inaccuracies to create powerful play on the kingside. Salimova perhaps could have still tried to hold on, but the game was obviously slipping from her hands and Assaubayeva was able to convert without any issues.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/yToU3NOd#0
GM Antoaneta Stefanova’s Konstantinopolsky opening experiment against WIM Afruza Khamdamova worked well as she had a decent advantage out of the opening at some point. However, all it took was one inaccuracy for the game to peter out to a draw.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/NRZw6UG5#0
GM Antoaneta Stefanova vs. WIM Afruza Khamdamova
Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE
IM Stavroula Tsolakidou had a small advantage against IM Khanim Balajayeva, but Balajayeva was putting up stiff resistance, and both sides saw no way forward, agreeing to a draw on move 35.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/QoU4Wc9v#0
Notable Games
GM Anna Muzychuk, who is vying for a spot in the Women’s Candidates, won a much needed game against IM Vantika Agrawal, whose tournament has gradually gone downhill.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/MJl2Yfsm#0
WGM Anna Shukhman won an incredibly tangled game against WGM Zhai Mo, winning an incredibly imbalanced and aesthetically pleasing endgame.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/pThg8gyy#0
Flashy Games
GM Mariya Muzychuk put on an attacking master class against WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet, brewing up a brutal kingside attack from a somewhat staid, positional opening.
https://lichess.org/study/embed/1RoZMMTf/3xbMhij3#0
Pairings for Round 6 (Top 10 Boards)
Open:
| White | Black |
|---|---|
| GM Parham Maghsoodloo | GM Arjun Erigaisi |
| GM Matthias Bluebaum | GM Abhimanyu Mishra |
| GM Marc’Andria Maurizzi | GM Anish Giri |
| GM M. Amin Tabatabaei | GM Alireza Firouzja |
| GM Maxim Rodshtein | GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov |
| GM Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş | GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov |
| GM Szymon Gumularz | GM Nihal Sarin |
| GM Nodirbek Yakubboev | GM V Pranav |
| GM R Praggnanandhaa | GM Rauf Mamedov |
| GM Gukesh D | GM Nikolas Theodorou |
Women’s:
| White | Black |
|---|---|
| GM Kateryna Lagno | IM Dinara Wagner |
| IM Ulviyya Fataliyeva | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu |
| GM Tan Zhongyi | GM Antoaneta Stefanova |
| WIM Afruza Khamdamova | GM Bibisara Assaubayeva |
| GM Olga Girya | IM Song Yuxin |
| IM Khanim Balajayeva | IM Guo Qi |
| WIM Guldona Karimova | GM Mariya Muzychuk |
| WCM Madinabonu Khalilova | IM Stavroula Tsolakidou |
| WGM Anna Shukhman | IM Irina Bulmaga |
| IM Nurgyul Salimova | GM Anna Muzychuk |